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Monday, December 20, 2010

Easy & Festive Peppermint Bark Candy

***If you are looking for an easy candy recipe for your holiday gift-giving, this just might be the one! You may be familiar with the beautiful Peppermint Bark that Williams-Sonoma sells during the holiday season. The only problem is, it is pretty expensive ($26.50 per lb). The good news is, you can make your own Peppermint Bark that is equally pretty and just as tasty.

Peppermint Bark is extremely easy! In fact, there are only about 3 main ingredients - white chocolate, dark chocolate and crushed peppermint candies. Voila! If you can find it, peppermint oil or peppermint extract would be a delicious addition to this particular recipe.

Right now, my refrigerator is filled with little gift tins of holiday candies for my co-workers. I made an assortment of different candies...I sure hope everyone likes them! I made dark and white chocolate covered pretzels, peanut clusters, and ritz/peanut butter crackers that are dipped in chocolate...Yum!

The Peppermint Bark turned out beautifully...I'm excited to share these goodies with everyone tomorrow morning!

Line the bottom and sides of a large baking sheet with aluminum foil, smoothing out any wrinkles (I used a silicone baking mat).

Melt the semi sweet chocolate and 4 teaspoons of vegetable oil in a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Immediately pour the melted chocolate into the prepared pan and tilt/shake the pan so the chocolate makes an even layer. Place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes, or until the chocolate has set.

Then, melt the white chocolate and remaining 4 teaspoons of vegetable oil in a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Immediately pour the melted white chocolate over the dark chocolate and tilt/shake the pan so the chocolate is in an even layer.

Sprinkle the crushed candies evenly over the white chocolate, lightly pressing them into the chocolate (crush the candy using a zip lock bag and hammer...do not use a food processor). Place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes - 1 hour, or until the chocolate has set.

Remove the Peppermint Bark from the pan by lifting the edges of the aluminum foil. Peel back the foil and break the bark into small irregular pieces. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.